About This Quiz

Even if you're not Sherlock Holmes, you probably have one or two deductive bones in your body. We know that not everyone will be able to figure out every statement on this quiz. Are you game?

Most deductive arguments follow the classic reasoning pattern of if A = B and B = C, then A = C. But, just because a statement has these three components does not make it correct. To ensure that the deduction (C) is correct, the arguments (A and B) must also be correct. Consider this argument: All presidents live in the White House. George Washington was a president. Therefore, George Washington lived in the White House. Now, we know that, in fact, George Washington, as president, did not live in the White House because construction was not completed on the presidential residence until November 1800. The first statement in this argument, "All presidents live in the White House," is false. If one of the statements is false (even though the second argument, "George Washington was a president," is true), then the deduction must also be false. If course, this requires a bit of knowledge, because if you didn't know that Washington did not live in the White House, you might assume that this deduction was valid.

About HowStuffWorks

How much do you know about how car engines work? And how much do you know about how the English language works? And what about how guns work? How much do you know? Lucky for you, HowStuffWorks is about more than providing great answers about how the world works. We are also here to bring joy to your day with fun quizzes, compelling photography and fascinating listicles. Some of our content is about how stuff works. Some is about how much you know about how stuff works. And some is just for fun! Because, well, did you know that having fun is an important part of how your brain works? Well, it is! So keep reading!